Talk about a difficult week to find a tight end. Among the players on bye are Rob Gronkowski (as well as teammate Martellus Bennett), Jordan Reed and Tyler Eifert. Those likely are some of the better names on a weekly basis, so what does that leave us? Let’s take a look:

Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – at Los Angeles

Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans – at San Diego

Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Jacksonville

Gary Barnidge – Cleveland Browns – vs. Dallas

Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee

Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts – at Green Bay

Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Detroit

Coby Fleener – New Orleans Saints – at San Francisco

Jimmy Graham – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Buffalo

Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Pittsburgh

Eric Ebron – Detroit Lions – at Minnesota

Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Atlanta

Julius Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Kansas City

Hunter Henry – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee

Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – at New York Giants

Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – at Cleveland

Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons – at Tampa Bay

Richard Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – vs. Indianapolis

Lance Kendricks – Los Angeles Rams – vs. Carolina

Charles Clay – Buffalo Bills – at Seattle

Thoughts:

Maybe Hunter Henry was limited a bit, but over the past two weeks Antonio Gates has been targeted 19 times (9 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD). That’s enough opportunity, when coupled with a matchup against a team that has allowed 23 receptions to opposing TE over the past two weeks, to make him a viable option.

After a few low usage games (3 targets in back-to-back weeks), Kelce was back to being a focal point in Week 8 as he turned 10 targets into 7 receptions, 101 yards and 1 TD. That’s more than enough to make us consider him among the better options in the league.

The Vikings offense needs some significant changes, and maybe this is the week they turn to Kyle Rudolph and turn him into a focal point. It would make sense, with the Lions having allowed 17 receptions, 184 yards and 1 TD to opposing tight ends over the past two weeks. He has been too inconsistent to consider him among the best options, but he’s definitely worth the gamble as a TE1.

Dennis Pitta has been targeted 10 times in each of the past two weeks (and 8+ in three straight games). While he hasn’t necessarily turned those chances into production (10 receptions for 76 yards over the past two weeks), opportunity is half the battle. With a favorable matchup he’s impossible to ignore.

It was a great return for Eric Ebron, turning 10 targets into 7 receptions and 79 yards. Look for him to continue as one of the focal points of the offense, against a Minnesota defense that hasn’t allowed a TD to opposing TE but has yielded 419 yards.